Billy Strings returned to Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo in Burlington, VT on Sunday to cap off a two-night run on the outdoor stage. After debuting The Beatles‘ “I’ll Cry Instead” featuring bassist Royal Masat on lead vocals on Saturday, Strings offered another debut, a duo take on the traditional “Froggie Went A-Courtin’” featuring banjoist Billy Failing and dedicated to his wife.
Opening with Doc Watson‘s “Ridin’ That Midnight Train”, the bluegrass firebrand and his trusty band kicked off the night with a strong first set that included the recently debuted original “Be Your Man” and culminated with a jam from “Guitar Piece” into a cover of Pink Floyd‘s “Fearless”. The band ended the first frame with a mind-melting “Highway Hypnosis” with the traditional “Back Up and Push” inserted into the middle of the song.
Billy Strings – “Ridin’ That Midnight Train” (Doc Watson), “Thirst Mutilator” > “Be Your Man” – 7/23/23
“Home” opened set two followed by “These Old Blues” and a pair of running songs, “Running The Route” > “Running On Empty” by Jackson Browne, which contained teases of The Beatles‘ “Day. Tripper” and Jimi Hendrix‘s “Third Stone From The Sun”. Most of the band then exited the stage, leaving Billy by himself to play solo renditions of “Catch and Release” and The Delmore Brothers” “Brown’s Ferry Blues”.
One of the night’s highlights arrived as banjoist Billy Failing returned to the stage and joined the bandleader to debut the traditional “Froggie Went A-Courtin’”, which they dedicated to his wife, Mrs. Failing. Strings then switched to clawhammer banjo and played the year’s first “Jeff Sturgeon” accompanied by Alex Hargreaves on fiddle. The full band returned to wrap up the set with one last monster jam, flowing freely from “Wargasm” into “Dust and Regret”—a mashup combining the lyrics from “Dust in a Baggie” with the music of “Love and Regret”—and then concluding with a pair of covers, Jeff Austin‘s “Fiddling Around” and “Blue Grass Breakdown” by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. Upon returning for an encore, the band capped off the weekend with “Gone A Long Time”.
Billy Strings tour continues this week with two sold-out shows at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion. The shows are available to stream free for nugs subscribers.
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Billy Strings (Solo) – “Catch And Release” – 7/23/23
[Video: Christy Cutshaw]
Billy Strings With Billy Failing – “Froggie Went A-Courtin’” (Traditional) – 7/23/23
[Video: Laura Dowling]
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo | Burlington, VT | 7/23/23
Set 1: Ridin’ That Midnight Train (Doc Watson), Thirst Mutilator > Be Your Man, Along The Road (Dan Fogelberg), Streamline Cannonball (Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys), A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave (Ralph Stanley), Libby Phillips Rag, Enough To Leave, Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) (Bob Dylan), Guitar Peace > Fearless (Pink Floyd), Love Like Me, Highway Hypnosis > Back Up and Push (Traditional) > Highway Hypnosis
Set 2: Home, These Old Blues, Running The Route > Running On Empty (Jackson Browne) [1][2], Catch and Release [3], Brown’s Ferry Blues (The Delmore Brothers) [3], Froggie Went A-Courtin’ (Traditional) [4][5], Jeff Sturgeon [6][7], Hello, City Limits (Harley “Red” Allen), Wargasm > Dust and Regret [8], Fiddling Around (Jeff Austin) [9] > Blue Grass Breakdown (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys)
Encore: Gone A Long Time
Notes:
[1] “Day Tripper” The Beatles tease
[2] “Third Stone From The Sun” Jimi Hendrix tease
[3] Billy Strings solo
[4] Billy Stings on guitar with Billy Failing on banjo
[5] FTP – Traditional, dedicated to Mrs. Failing, Billy Failing’s wife
[6] Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo with Alex Hargreaves on fiddle
[7] Last Played 2022-08-05 | 104 show gap
[8] Last Played 2022-02-12 | 158 show gap
[9] “Rift” Phish tease
The post Billies Went A-Courtin’: Billy Strings & Billy Failing Debut Amphibious Traditional In VT [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
